Summary: The Phantom has escape after Don Juan and the gendarmes are frantically trying to track down the murderer, but old habits die hard, and Madame Giry is not going to give up on him just yet. However, her well meant plans go awry when the Phantom becomes attracted to her daughter. But this time it is not her adopted daughter; it's her real one. Meg is yet wary of the Phantom and feels no where near to friendly, but will her attitude alter once she learns to see the man behind the monster? This story is sort of a sequel to "Regret". Rated K (rating is likely to change).

Disclaimer: I do not own any version of the Phantom of the Opera (except my DVD and soundtrack) and make no money from this story.

Author's Note:

I know that this first chapter is not particularly thrilling, neither does it have much of a plot, but it serves its purpose in that I hope it will help readers get into the mood of the piece, and it will help me get into the swing of things. As of yet there are not adult themes, but as I intend for adult themes to be introduced it is very likely that the rating will later change. I hope this chapter isn't too boring and I promise there will be more action in the next one, plus actually having Meg and the Phantom in it (which may be helpful considering I want this to be a Meg and Erik focused story). Enjoy, and please leave reviews: a writer needs to feel loved.

"When the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name,

He marks, not that you won or lost,

But how you played the game." - Grantland Rice.

- Estelle Tiniwiel -x-

After the night of Don Juan everyone had thought that things would calm down, the Phantom had been caught and the killings, therefore, brought to a stop.

Unfortunately, Christine and Raoul knew that the Phantom had not been brought before the law, and Raoul had a horrible suspicion that, even in his broken state, the Phantom would be just as dangerous as before.

Christine knew he would be worse.

She remembered how her Angel had fallen, knew she was the cause for it, but recalled also how he had informed her of how he had decided to return: as an Angel of Hell with wings of fire at his back. And she was afraid.

"Bonjour, Monsieur. I have looked forward to your visit. I was just enquiring as to whether the search was still underway."

"Yes, Vicomte, it is. But we have no leads. This man is impossible to track. We do not know his name, if he has a bank account –"

"He's certainly got a lot of money."

" – who he may count as friends, and the only half decent description we have of him is this: 'tallish, could have dark hair if he's wearing a wig, but lighter if he's not, with a death head on one side of his face; oh, and an amazing singing voice.' All the accounts are from members of the public involved in the disaster on opera night, but none are detailed. Did you not see him when you went after Mademoiselle Daaé?"

"No, Monsieur. He had donned a new mask by the time I had arrived and I had other more pressing matters to attend to at the time than taking a description of the Phantom."

Alright, Raoul admitted to himself that he knew perfectly well what the Phantom looked like and that what he had just said about the Phantom having worn another mask was a complete lie , but he had promised Christine.

Flashback

Christine looked up with eyes at once pleading and agitated.

"No, Raoul! We promised him."

"Promised him what!"

"That we would not speak of him."

"I promised no such thing."

" 'Take the boat, swear to me never to tell

the secrets you know of the Angel in Hell.'

I promised him, Raoul. In my heart I promised him, because I could not help but pity him. And I think, Raoul, that deep down you pitied him too, and you respected his privacy, and you promised him too."

Raoul knew that this had some grain of truth in it, but under no circumstances would he admit it.

"I would not swear anything for him."

"Then for me. Please, Raoul, I can't betray him anymore. All that happens is we get hurt and he gets away. There's no point in fighting. Please, just leave it at this: he let me go. Promise me."

Raoul felt his hackles rise at the way Christine unconsciously imitated the words of her former idol, but knew that if Christine was to live an untroubled life, unafraid of the shadows, he would have to give in to this earnest request.

"I promise."

End of flashback

The gendarme looked at the Vicomte with concern. The Vicomte did not appear to be seeing him, but gazing off into some far distanced memory, and a memory that was troubling the Vicomte, if the sad frown was anything to go by.

"No," the Vicomte replied slowly, "I don't know what he looks like. I don't know where he may have gone. I don't think he has any friends: the Girys used to obey him, but don't bother them. I am sure that they only obeyed him out of fear and any trust there was between them was broken when Madame Giry told me how to find him." And how to protect myself from him, he thought, mentally kicking himself. If I had remembered then things would probably have worked out differently and that fiend of a Phantom would be dead.

Plus, he thought, the only reason Giry told you how to get rid of him was because she was afraid. Afraid of me. I wonder, if it wasn't for me, would she still be sheltering him now?